Surfers are grappling with a decision: with an early-season south swell hitting local beaches, should they scout out a still-open beach and risk riding waves?

An expert warns that might not be a good idea, with new studies coming out about coronavirus that could be troubling for not only surfing, but other outdoor activities such as running and biking in breezy environments.

Coronavirus could be much smaller than previously believed and aerosolized as a fine spray – meaning it lasts longer in the air and travels farther than 6 feet, said Kimberly Prather, an atmospheric chemist and professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego first interviewed by the Union Tribune.

Prather said the airborne pathway is a concern and the 6-foot rule doesn’t apply when the air is moving around, like when it is breezy. And there’s new information suggesting exposure is happening beyond just people nearby coughing and sneezing. And, there could be people out and about getting exercise not knowing they are infecting others, she said.

“The angle that is more important to get out is the fact that surfers/runners/bikers who are infected could be breathing out infected viruses,” Prather, whose work focuses on how humans are influencing the atmosphere and climate, wrote in an e-mail. “The National Academy just sent a letter to the White House yesterday warning them about this exposure pathway.”

While some surfers argue they can maintain 6-foot distance from one another, others say popular spots such as Salt Creek, Huntington Pier, Lower Trestles and the Wedge in Newport Beach continue to be a magnet for crowds of surfers who bunch up battling for waves.

OC Lifeguards Chief Jason Young posted more signs about social distancing along county beaches on Thursday, April 2. Lifeguards have been actively patrolling to warn people gathering in groups to spread out and have been alerting surfers on the PA system when they are too close to one another.

For the most part, surfers are adhering to the rules, with only occasional moments of getting too close to one another, Young said. “Having more swell helps spread people out … but at the same token it attracts more surfers, so it’s a battle between those two things.”

He said lifeguards also want to dissuade people from bringing umbrellas and having a beach day.

“The spirit of this is to come down, walk, surf, get your exercise and go home,” he said. “Not just hang out all day. The more people who do that, the more difficult it would be to do the social distancing.”

He said crowds have been difficult to predict, and they are counting beachgoes and surfers each day to try and find patterns, but with school and many people not working, there’s been no set schedules.

The busiest day this week was Wednesday, when the swell started filling in, and 96 surfers were counted in the water from Salt Creek to Monarch Beach.

Young also warned surfers are taking a risk, not just with coronavirus, but an injury that could land them in a hospital that is already battling the pandemic.

“The stay-at-home order is designated to protect not only you from getting sick from Covid-19, but to reduce the impact on the healthcare system,” he said. “It’s not good timing to get hurt right now. We want people to be safe in what they are doing.”

Mel Thoman, a longtime body surfer who has been riding waves at the Wedge for decades, said he has been watching live cameras on Surfline.com and seeing crowds this week at his favorite Newport Beach break as early-season south swells roll in.

Even if you try to maintain space, he said the ocean will move bodies and boards around and the take-off spot peaks in one small area so wave riders huddle together to position themselves in just the right spot.

The crowds he saw weren’t just in the water, he said. The Wedge is a popular spectator spot so “even on the beach they were right next to each other. That’s the opposite of what needs to be done.”

As a cancer survivor himself and with a wife who is a nurse, Thoman said he’s keeping his distance – and is advising others, like the out-of-school teens showing up, to do the same.

In what would normally be a busy spring break at the beach, a lone surfer walks across the sand just south of the Huntington Beach Pier which is closed to the public due to the coronavirus concerns and the gathering of numerous people in public areas on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

“If by staying out of the water, even when it’s breaking, can flatten the curve – it’s advice they should heed,” he said. “I’d love to be out there … it’s a health issue and it’s a serious one. I don’t think people get that.”

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The Surfrider Foundation, based in San Clemente, recently posted a message urging surfers to “stay home, shred later.”

“Surfrider continues to be a staunch defender of public beach access rights,” its website reads. “However, in these extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are needed to protect our health and livelihoods so we can, in due course, protect and enjoy our ocean, waves and beaches in the future.”

Laylan Connelly started as a journalist in 2002 after earning a degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. Through the years, she has covered several cities for The Orange County Register, starting as a beat reporter in Irvine before focusing on coastal cities such as Newport Beach, Dana Point and Laguna Beach. In 2007, she was selected for a prestigious Knight New Media fellowship focusing on digital media at UC Berkeley, where she learned skills to adapt to the ever-changing online landscape. Using a web-based approach, she turned her love for the ocean into a full-time gig as the paper’s beaches reporter. The unique beat allows her to delve into coastal culture by covering everything from the countless events dotting the 42 miles of coastline, to the business climate of the surf industry, to the fascinating wildlife that shows up on the shores. Most importantly, she takes pride in telling stories of the people who make the beaches so special, whether they are surfers using the ocean to heal, or the founders of major surf brands who helped spawn an entire culture, or people who tirelessly fight to keep the coast pristine and open for all to enjoy. She’s a world traveler who loves to explore the slopes during winter months or exotic surf spots around the globe. When she’s not working, or maybe while she's researching a story, you can find her longboarding at her favorite surf spots at San Onofre or Doheny.

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